Alexander, Brown Garner Weekly Ivy Softball Awards

Mar 20, 2012

Rachel Brown (left) and Jane Alexander (right) helped
Harvard to its most successful Spring Break trip in team
history.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – For the third time in three
weeks this season, senior pitcher Rachel Brown has been named the
Ivy League Pitcher of the Week, the league announced Tuesday.
Classmate Jane Alexander received Player of the Week accolades
after the Crimson won eight of nine games on its Spring Break
trip.

Brown's three consecutive Pitcher of the Week awards marks the
first time a Crimson player has accomplished the feat since Shelly
Madick '08 won three straight at the end of the 2007 season.

Brown made three appearances last week, collecting two victories
and allowing just one earned run in 15.2 innings. Brown recorded
five strikeouts in 1.2 innings of relief March 12 in an 8-5 win
over Utah State, making her third relief appearance of the season.
She fanned nine hitters and allowed her lone earned run of the trip
in a 6-3 win over San Diego State, and capped the trip with a
four-hit shutout of Long Beach State. Her win against LBSU gave her
60 career victories, a new Harvard all-time record, one more than
the 59 posted by Tasha Cupp ’98. So far this season, Brown
has set career program records in appearances (108), games started
(79), complete games (53) and shutouts (20).

Alexander was the offensive catalyst for the Crimson throughout
its time in California. In four games last week, she led all
Harvard hitters with nine hits, recording multiple hits in all four
contests. She went 2 for 4 with a run and two RBI against Utah
State and collected two more hits and an RBI against San Diego
State. She was 3 for 3 with a pair of doubles against UNLV, and
finished the trip with a 2 for 4 showing with an RBI against Long
Beach State. She also played perfect shortstop, notching four
putouts and 11 assists with no errors.

Harvard kicks off its home schedule Thursday when it takes on
Quinnipiac in a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m.